'Saint Joseph's Day', commonly called the 'Feast of St. Joseph' or in some churches, the 'Solemnity of Saint Joseph' is marked in some
Christian churches in honor of
Saint Joseph, spouse of
Mary and
foster-father of
Jesus.
It is a
Solemnity in the
Roman Catholic Church, and a
feast or
festival in the
Lutheran Church, and a
feast in the provinces of the
Anglican Communion, falling on
19 March. In the
Orthodox Church, the Feast falls on the Sunday after
Christmas.
Saint
Bernardino of Siena was the main proponent of Joseph's
veneration in the western Church, where his feast day was first celebrated in 1621.
In 1870,
Pope Pius IX declared Joseph the patron of the Universal Church, and promoted the "Patronage" feast (later Solemnity, before the
Vatican II calendar's use of such term) of Saint Joseph on the third Wednesday after
Easter; this was replaced in 1955 by the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
As Joseph was a
carpenter (or a builder), he is also the
patron saint of
workers. In 1955,
Pope Pius XII introduced the optional feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on
May 1, intentionally coinciding with the international
labour day or
May Day.
The Feast of St. Joseph's is the
Patronal Feast day for persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., and also for
religious orders, schools and parishes bearing his name.
Catholic traditions of St. Joseph's Day, 19 March
Because March 19 always falls during
Lent, St. Joseph's Day feasts often have no
meat, even though—because the feast day is classed as a
solemnity—
abstinence from meat is not required according to
Canon law, even if it falls on a Friday. If the feast day falls on a Sunday (other than Palm Sunday), it is observed the following day, Monday,
20 March, instead. If it falls during
Holy Week, it is moved.
[1]
Italy - La Festa di San Giuseppe
In
Sicily, where St. Joseph is regarded by many as their Patron Saint, and many
Italian-American communities, thanks are given to St. Joseph ("San Giuseppe" in
Italian) for preventing a famine in Sicily during the
Middle Ages.
According to legend, there was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron saint to bring them rain. They promised that if he answered their prayers, they would prepare a large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint. The
fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Giving food to the needy is a St. Joseph's Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Sicilian pastry known as a
Zeppole on St. Joseph's Day.
Altars are also a prevalent tradition. Upon a typical St. Joseph's Day altar, people place flowers, limes, candles, wine, fava beans, specially prepared cakes, breads, and cookies (as well as other meatless dishes), and
zeppole. Foods are traditionally served containing bread crumbs to represent saw dust since St. Joseph was a carpenter. Because the feast occurs during Lent, traditionally no meat was allowed on the celebration table. The altar usually has three tiers, to represent the trinity.
Some villages like
Belmonte Mezzagno use to burn wood and logs in squares on the day before St.Joseph, as thanksgiving to the Saint. This is called "'A Vampa di San Giuseppe"(the Saint Joseph's
bonfire)
Italian celebrations in the United States
In
New Orleans, Louisiana, which was a major port of entry for Sicilian immigrants during the late 19th century, the Feast of St. Joseph is a city-wide event. Both public and private St. Joseph's altars are traditionally built. The altars are usually open to any visitor who wishes to pay homage. The food is generally distributed to charity after the altar is dismantled.
There are also parades in honor of St. Joseph and the Italian population of New Orleans which are similar to the marching clubs and truck parades of
Mardi Gras and
St. Patrick's Day. Tradition in New Orleans also holds that by burying a small statue of St. Joseph in your yard, your house will sell more promptly. In addition to the above traditions, some groups of
Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season on the Sunday prior to St. Joseph's day otherwise known as "Super Sunday," after which their costumes are dismantled.
Traditional St. Joseph's Altar in New Orleans
St Joseph's Day is also celebrated in other American communities with high proportions of Italians such as
New York City,
Buffalo, New York,
Chicago and
Rhode Island.
Other US traditions
At
Mission San Juan Capistrano in
San Juan Capistrano, California, a festival celebrates the return of migratory
swallows.
Malta
This is one of public holidays in
Malta, and by the
Maltese is known as ''Jum San Ġużepp''. In this day people celebrate mass in the morning, and in the afternoon go for a pic-nic in the countryside. It is a
liturgical feast in the localities of
Kalkara,
Manikata,
Msida, and
Qala, but the Maltese typical ''festa'' each of these localities celebrate it in a particular Sunday in summer. But the locality of
Rabat celebrates the traditional Maltese feast on the 19th of March, where in the evening is also held a procession with the statue of St Joseph. On this day also the locality of
Żejtun celebrates the locality day, known as ''Jum iż-Żejtun'' (Zejtun's Day). In the past years the Żejtun Parish Church has celebrated these feast days with a procession with the artistic statue of St Joseph.
Spain
Main articles: Falles
In
Spain, the day is a version of
Father's Day. In some parts of Spain it is celebrated as
Falles.
Philippines
In The
Philippines, many families keep a tradition in which an old man, a young woman and a small boy are chosen from among the poor and dressed up as St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the child Jesus respectively. They then sit around a table set with the family's best silverware and china, and served a variety of courses and are literally spoon-fed by senior members of the family, while the
novena to St. Joseph is recited at a nearby temporary altar.
Notes
1. '' Vatican changes dates for 2008 feasts of St. Joseph, Annunciation'', Singapore Catholic News, 24 August 2006
See also
★
Calendar of saints
External links
★
Catholic Church Calendar
★
Anglican Calendar
★
The Feast of San Giuseppe
★
St. Joseph's Day Altars
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